Metrics In Ministry

"You cannot measure what you have not defined." (Edgar Schein). In my doctoral studies one of my Professors, Dr. Gordon Lewis, required us to define with exegetical validation each and every term we used in creating an Applied Theology. Dr. Al Mohler in his book The Conviction To Lead correctly states that unless convictions are translated into action the watching world has no comprehension of what we say we believe.

Nearly all churches claim that their purpose is to MAKE DISCIPLES. Yet, when asked what a disciple is, they have no clear and actionable definition and therefore no Metric by which they can measure ministry effectiveness. IgniteUS, Inc. has such a definition. We have developed 14 Effectiveness Criteria that enable the church to know with reasonable certainty if their ministry is Healthy & Effective. We provide a process of collecting "Artifacts" to validate the existence of operative ministry principles. Very important for genuine accountability.

Edgar Schein is a Professor Emeritus at MIT. He made significant contributions to leadership in the area of Organizational Behavior. The following graphic and text provide an overview of his thesis.

Schein's model of organizational culture originated in the 1980s. Schein (2004) identifies three distinct levels in organizational cultures:

1. artifacts and behaviors
2. espoused values
3. assumptions

The three levels refer to the degree to which the different cultural phenomena are visible to the observer.

• Artifacts include any tangible, overt or verbally identifiable elements in an organization. Architecture, furniture, dress code, office jokes, all exemplify organizational artifacts. Artifacts are the visible elements in a culture and they can be recognized by people not part of the culture.

• Espoused values are the organization's stated values and rules of behavior. It is how the members represent the organization both to themselves and to others. This is often expressed in official philosophies and public statements of identity. It can sometimes often be a projection for the future, of what the members hope to become. Examples of this would be employee professionalism, or a "family first" mantra. Trouble may arise if espoused values by leaders are not in line with the general assumptions of the culture.[1]

• Shared Basic Assumptions are the deeply embedded, taken-for-granted behaviors which is usually unconscious, but constitute the essence of culture. These assumptions are typically so well integrated in the office dynamic that they are hard to recognize from within.[2]

Importance of Schein's Model
One can easily understand the paradoxical organizational behaviors and have an in-depth knowledge of the culture. Interpersonal skills also help in understanding culture. Helps to know the culture at different levels. The assumptions can be identified. Organizational culture is the most difficult to change, this model brought to light understanding of the organizational culture and can be applied to lead change.

Does the church where you are serving measure ministry effectiveness with Objective Accuracy? Give us a call and we will launch you on a Journey to making disciples fully formed in the Image of Christ. 803 413 3509 or info@igniteUS.net.

Consequences - Truth In The Marketplace

WEBSTER, N.Y. — A gunman ambushed firefighters at a house fire in the Rochester suburb of Webster, N.Y., early Monday, killing two firemen and injuring two others before killing himself on a Lake Ontario beach.
Seven homes were destroyed as firefighters waited for police to secure the scene.
The gunman, who shot himself at the scene, was identified as 62-year-old William Spengler. He was charged in 1980 with beating his 92-year-old grandmother to death with a hammer in her home next door.
Spengler served 17 years in New York State prison on manslaughter charges, police officials said.

The individual guilty of murdering two firefighters in this incident should not have been alive to kill yet again. He was found guilty of killing his grandmother in 1980. The 'culture' has decided that Truth does not apply.  As a culture we have abandoned Truth Absolute. The Scriptures, which are Transcendent and Absolute requires such individuals to be put to death -

And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.  6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. (Genesis 9:5-6).

 The application of the Moral Authority found in Scripture applied to this man's case would have prevented the deaths of two fireman, two image bearers created in the Image of God. They died needlessly. Their lives were taken by a convicted killer. Their loss is not restricted to their families and loved ones alone. We all suffer from their deaths and more, from the loss of Marketplace Authority of the Scripture. Had this mandate been applied, these men would be alive.

Incarceration is not the solution. As a nation we spend millions of dollars on prisons and precious little on education.

Over the past 23 years, California constructed roughly one new prison per year, at a cost of $100 million each, while it built only one new public college during the same period. Nationwide, spending on prisons has risen six times faster than spending on higher education.

The Scripture calls for repentance - an honest admission by the guilty party of their crime, and, restitution, restoring to the injured party double what was taken. Had this been applied in the case of William Spangler he would have rightly been executed in 1980, the firemen would be living and we as a culture would be better served.

The issue is not decided by some smarmy emotional angst. It is rather determined by the Transcendent unchanging Moral Authority of Scripture. God is offended by murder. He has ordered governments to honor His authority by abiding by the consistent application of Truth.

Think on these things!